The Secret Never Told Book 3
by dadofarloa
Summary: Edward Yazzie and Kevin Murphy are off on an adventure that no one from Peachcreek would ever expect. A destiny where the faith of all man kind lies in their hands.
1. Book 3 Intro

I am going to try this "Book Three" thing and see how well it is received. It is a BIG turn from what has been told so far, as it will move more into the Science Fiction type of story. This is from a base story I have had going around in my head for what seems like for Ever. The story does continue in Book format, if for nothing else to help calm myself. This has been giving me something to do and not sit around looking at the same four walls all the time.

So with great trepidation, I give you The Secrete Never Told Book III. I pray you will enjoy it as much as the first two.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Two weeks have passed, and we still don't have any answers. Mother and Father are staying in Seattle, full time, running the so call business, while Kevin and I have been ordered on "Vacation". Kevin spent two days in an accelerated healing bed, and an extra day in a regular hospital bed regaining his strength. There wasn't even a scar left or any sign of him ever being shot. Mother deactivated my weapons before I went to deal with Ms Frances, unfortunately. She was on the phone yelling to Tech Support, when I walked into the office, about how she couldn't log into anything after the computers rebooted. She was found to be another member of the Underground Third Reich movement, and believed that Jimmy would return to the program, and paid large sums of money to keep him informed of what was going on. When neither of them realized that Kenny had already told us about his relation to the mainframe, I knew where Jimmy was getting his information. Ms Frances and Jimmy Tanner have been sent to a company security facility, that even I haven't been told the location of yet. Only that they will be unable to escape, and I will find out where during our briefing.

Kenny is still in Seattle being healed, repaired, his neural net was damaged beyond recognition by a focused electromagnetic pulse. My actions while we were being held hostage, only served to reactivate the backup mainframe, in Seattle, through Kenny's transmitters, located in the apartment. If we had been anywhere else, there would have been no response. The most time consuming for him was the replacement of his neural net, and reintegrating everything back into it. Lucky for us and him, the mainframe backs up every few hours, so there will be very little data lost. For him, he will remember nothing of the attack.

News agencies were told there was an attempted terrorist attack on the Naval Base, trying to use an apartment as a base of operations. The story played up the quick actions of Homeland Security, following leads, and it's diligent actions. This also allowed for more security to be seen in the open by the general public.

Kevin and I stayed around the condominium, not really feeling like venturing out right now. Most of the time we just sit and watch the waterfront, and all the happenings going on below us. Sammy took to his role as Butler, with gusto, keeping the place in order, and keeping a general eye on us. Last night was the first time either of us felt the need to make love. For a while just holding each other was all we needed. Mine and Kevin's kiss good night last night was all it took for our bodies to tell us that it longed for something more. We once again stood by the window in our room, with the lights off, watching the world pass. We started removing each others clothing, a piece at a time, until we were standing in a pile of clothes, nude in front of our windows. Our lovemaking was a soft and affectionate affair last night, with both of us are reaching an explosive climax together. We just fell asleep where we were, in each others arms, using our discarded clothing as bedding.

Too early in the morning, we were awoken by our holo-coms going off alerting both of us to an incoming call. I accepted for us, and was surprised to see my mother's face looking back at me. "MOM! I didn't know these things had videos." Realizing that it was still dark outside, I asked "What time is it? Is everything okay?"

"It's a little after 2 in the morning dear, and it's time for our meeting. Your father and I are on the way to pick you, Kevin and Sammy up. We will be there in just under an hour. Please be ready, and waiting in the lobby when we arrive. I'm sorry we could not fore warn you, we could not take a chance of another breach in security. Besides, we do have a surprise for you two. Oh be sure to wear comfortable clothing"

"Yes, mother, we will be ready when you arrive." I answered her, knowing complaining about the time would do no good.

Picking up our make sift bedding and depositing it in the dirty laundry, Kevin and I made our way to the bathroom and a shower to wake us up we hope. We were still sated after our earlier lovemaking, so it was a just a quick clean, and we were done. After dressing we went looking for coffee or something to wake us up at this ungodly hour. Sammy met us in the kitchen with Orange Juice, and a strong pot of coffee. Filling our travel mugs, we made our way downstairs to await my parents arrival. We didn't have to wait long before I heard the familiar sound of my father's Freightliner Limousine Bus. Just a little longer than a standard stretch, but with more room inside to move around in for the passengers. I noticed that as it came around it had military police, front and rear of the vehicle, acting as escorts. I could feel Kevin and Sammy, joining me on high alert status.

When it stopped out front and was ready for us, we were greeted at the door my both my mother and father, looking like they were starting another day in the office. We all greeted each other warmly, and afterwards, my mother pointed to the inside saying someone would like to meet us. We were surprised to see Kenny's smiling face looking back up at us. Having him back in our mist was a great relief, and our conversation became quite animated, despite the early hour. Our conversations came to an end when we realized that we had pulled up to the gate of a Submarine Base, not far from where we had practiced our weapons. We were escorted through the main gate barely without even stopping. After a mile or so, we turned away from the main base and the docks. We stopped at a second gate, and went through a thorough inspection, before we were allowed to proceed, with the addition of two armed Marines. Shortly we were stopped at a third gate, but the doors and windows remained closed with the Marines communicating through hand signals and radio. The outside was crawled all over and inspected before we were allowed to pass.

The Limo continues on and into a hanger like structure, without an airport, and started a downward spiral. When we stopped, I'm guessing at the bottom, my father went to exit the vehicle asking us to remain behind for a moment. I turned to my mother, confusion drawn on my face, wondering what we had gotten ourselfs into. Her response to my unasked question, was to wait for a few, and taking a knowing glance at the guards. We sat quietly for my father's return, but when he did, he had no answers, he only asked that we follow him. With nothing more to do, we did, leaving the two Marines behind. There is nothing much to see though. We walked into another "coach", for lack of a better word, and asked to strap in. Seeing my father and mother doing so we quickly followed. We soon felt the vibrations of movement, but could see nothing but blank walls.

My father turned his seat around and look over all of us, and sighed deeply. "My dear boys, how I with I could have given you both a full education and a full understanding of what is happening. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. Recent events both here and elsewhere, have seen that our timetable for this operation has to be moved up by at least 10 years. I am sorry, but there is no other choice. There are too many lives in danger to wait any longer. I can only pray you can forgive your mother and myself."

About then a tall, thin, tripedal being came into the cabin, and with a voice as soft as a song on the wind, he, she, it spoke to my father, yet I understood every word that was said. "We are in low orbit now, Mister Yazzie, awaiting authorization for transit. You may activate the viewers if you wish."

"Thank you pilot" responded my father. With a graceful, bow that was beyond elegant, the "Pilot" returned the way it had come from. My father reached over to the wall and touched a portioned, which lit up with different controls. As he touched each one, different views came to life within the cabin. What greeted us was nothing either of us could have expected. Below us was the planet Earth, above and beyond being the stars and whatever lay beyond them. We were indeed in orbit above the earth, and we had started to move away at incredible speeds. The only way we were able to determine this was, it did not take long for us to watch our moon be past and left behind.

I know Kevin and Sammy were just below freaking out at this moment, and we all three turned to stare at my parents. My mother could only mumble "I'm so sorry honey".

My father looked to Kenny and asked "are we in range yet?" After a brief nod, my father told us he was sorry also and gave the follow command.

"Activate UES Protocol, authorization Leonardo da Vinci"


	3. Chapter 2

"Activate UES Protocol, authorization Leonardo da Vinci"

Those words are still ringing in my ears. I had no idea what happened, other than intense pain. It seemed my brain was flooded with images, information, and sound all at once on too many subjects to handle. Someone had poked my arm with another "pen" and I think I was told it would help with the pain. I awoke to find I was laying back in my seat along with Edd and Sammy. Edd just gave me a painful grin and I knew he had experience the same thing I had. What ever it was, but I did feel like another door had opened and I understood a great deal more about things now.

We were set up, and allowed to catch our breaths, I was able to get out "H-H-How long?" Wondering how long we were unconscious.

"A little over an hour," replied Kenny "the information was downloaded into your holo-coms, and unlocked for your minds to absorb. Until it gains control, you tried to absorb all the information at once. This in a normal reaction, and not the preferred method of releasing the information, but at this time there was no other way."

"Just relax and let your mind work its way around the new information. Soon it will be like recalling a memory and you will be accessing the information, without even having to think about it." said Edd's mom.

Looking over at Edd, he seems to be doing better himself, Sammy on the other hand, was not looking too happy about things. "Where is Mr Yazzie" I asked, not seeing him in the cabin with us.

"He is up front with LTJG Mymsuth, he will be joining us shortly." she answered.

"But why me, why couldn't I return home, or anything?" asked Sammy sounding almost in tears.

Edd's mother got up and went to him, pulling him into a motherly embarrass. "I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you this. Yes, the original plan was to return you to Peach Creek, with some of your memories altered, however, it came to light after we capture James, that your brother Steven was his accomplish in his travels, and setting up the hostage taking on you and the boys. It was further learned that members of your family had several close ties to the Tanner family. With that information, the only option would have been a complete memory wipe, and you would still have been in danger and not even know why. The other option was to include you in the mission. Please do not be upset, we were trying to look out for your well being."

"WELL BEING!" I shout, "What would you two know about well being! You left Edd to fend for himself most of his life! You snatched us right at our last year of being children! Feed us a bunch of Information, like a computer! And you want to talk about Well Being! What about us today?! What if we don't want to command the mission of the United Enterprise Ship Leonardo da Vinci! Gathering humanity to save it from itself. Traveling to other worlds that are also facing extinction. To unite all the planets in a common unity. To provide a better life to all, no matter the planet, and to provide a better place for future generations..."

I finally wound down when the reality of what was happening set in. It wasn't just about us, but beings everywhere needed help and we were the answer. Ms Yazzie could tell that we all three had the same information at the same time. She just smiled and said "And now you are ready." activating her holo-com, "Charles dear, they are ready."

"Alright, Lt Mymsuth and I will be taking us in, the enhanced guidance is still not working properly. Will you please act as a guide." We started to turn as we noticed the stars shifting through the viewers. The first thing I noticed was we were near Saturn, and shortly a moon came into view.

"That is Dione, where James Tanner and Debra Frances are currently residing. There is a dome settlement there, and they will live out the rest of their normal lives there." We continue around Saturn, and she went on, "The structures you will see stay behind the planet at all time to not be seen from Earth." Three large frames came into view, each covering a massive structure within. "Here you see the three current ships, each 84 Kilometers long, 41 Kilometers Wide and 18 Kilometers Tall. The Leonardo da Vinci is ready for launch, the Albert Einstein will be ready in a little over six months, the Issac Newton, somewhere in the next year and a half. Each has a crew of near 900, Nine Primary "Sunburst" Reactors, and several secondary. Nearby asteroids were mined for the material and the hull is very thick and tough. These ships have been in the works since before any of you were born."

We could only sit in awe, knowing the information in our heads was nothing compared to actually seeing it. And one of them was our ship. Approaching one of the frames we could see the ship within and knew this was ours. The docking area was cavernous, with room for lots of different crafts. After docking and exiting the shuttle we seemed to automatically know where to go to. Into a clear transport pod for the trip to the bridge. "When will the rest of the guys from the Cul-de-Sac, be arriving?" I asked.

"Lt Mymsuth has already left and is on the way. With no trouble they should be here, later this evening." answered Mr Yazzie, "Commander Summers, will be able to help fly them back. Now will be a good time to take a good look at your Command List and familiarize yourselves with it."

Pulling the list from memory was easy and it covered a lot of information.

NAME SECURITY STATION RANK

 _ED Albertson LEVEL 9 Combat Pilot Lt Commander_

 _EDDY Williams LEVEL 10 Sensors/Weapons Lt Commander_

 _JOHNNY Miller LEVEL 10 Communications Lieutenant_

 _LEE Kanker LEVEL 8 Ambassador Supervisor Lieutenant_

 _MAE Kanker LEVEL 9 Hanger Security Chief Lt Commander_

 _MARIE Kanker LEVEL 9 Interior Security Chief Lt Commander_

 _NAZZ Summers LEVEL 10 Helm Pilot Commander_

 _ROLF Gunnarsson LEVEL 8 Xenobiology Lieutenant_

 _SARA Albertson LEVEL 8 Medical Lt Commander_

 _SAMMY Bowman LEVEL 9 Personal Security Lieutenant_

Is'ophea _LEVEL 10 Ship Captain Captain_

Mymsuth _LEVEL 8 Shuttle Pilot LTJG_

 _Ek'ihx_ _LEVEL 9 Docking Master N/A_

"Are all of the other work teams and the command crew placed together to grow up knowing each other? Will the others also have to go through a Memory Dump like we did?" I asked with a sudden realization.

"For the most part, yes, most grew up together, and no the Dump, was able to be done over a longer period of time. They were gathering together, shortly after James was picked up, we didn't have the luxury to do that with you there." answered Mr Yazzie.

We arrived at the Bridge, a large room, much larger than I expected, a lower level at the front, and three control consoles wrapped around the upper level. The lower level had six, three on each side of a central station. "Captain Is'ophea, may I introduce Admirals Yazzie and Murphy." Captain Is'ophea was a bright red being and definitely female. She would almost pass for human, if not for her color, the horns on her head, and extremely long fingers.

"Greetings Admirals, it is so good to finally get to meet you," she replied in a deep booming voice, "Everything is ready for departure as soon as the Command Crew arrives" She seemed to have a constant smile about her that really put everyone at ease. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Captain, you have no objections, we will take the boys to the Conference Room for breakfast and their mission briefing." said Mr Yazzie.

"Everything is okay here and we are just in standby awaiting departure." replied Captain Is'ophea, "in fact, I can join you now, and afterwards, we can get a brief tour of the ship out of the way."

We followed the Captain to the left side of the bridge, and down a sloping walkway. We pass several offices, and she told us one was her's and another was ours. At the end of the hallway was the conference room where breakfast had been laid out for us. The forward view had the same view that was seen from the bridge itself, so those in the meeting could still see what was outside.

"Lieutenant Bowman, I had already been informed of your status as the personal security of the Admirals," stated the Captain, "However, I'm afraid you have one extra person that I'm not familiar with, here with us." she continues looking at Kenny.

He smiled and rose from his seat and went to her, and bowed to one knee, with a single hand outstretched, "My honored Captain, my name is Kenny, and I am a living, breathing, connection to the ship's Mainframe.

None could believe the Captain's smile could have gotten any larger, yet it did. She rose from her seat, then went to a single knee mimicking, Kenny, right down to the outstretched hand. "I am deeply honored, by your customary greeting Kenny. It fills me with pride knowing that not all of the customs of my race is lost. I hope you are happy with your ship.

Standing Kenny replied, "Please, it is not my ship, I am merely and extension of its Mainframe. Let us enjoy breakfast, and our time together before the real fun starts."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The food was served Buffet style with a lot of stuff we knew about, and a lot we didn't. Father informed us that everything was edible, other than the liquid that appear to be green slime. Captain Is'ophea used this instead of syrup on her pancakes. Sitting there eating and reviewing the past conversation in my head something stood out that was missing at first. "Captain" I asked, "I don't mean to intrude, but you stated that you were glad not all of your race's customs were lost. Did something happen that would have caused this?"

She sighed and picked up her coffee, and sipped, and began. "Very observant Admiral Yazzie. Just a hundred years ago by your calendar, our planet faced the same destructive force that the Earth is now facing. The overuse of natural resources, more and more objects thrown into orbit without a real care of long term effects, and of course, the destructive force that is moving through the galaxy from the black hole at its center, was a deadly combination. Very few of us escaped on various ships of different sizes. There were 10 on board my ship, when the shock wave hit. We had just left low orbit, so we were still too close to the planet, and lost all navigation. We had thrust, and Life support, and that was about it. Using your time reference, we drifted for a little over 30 years before the paths of your planet and our craft, met. We crashed landed on your planet and lost 4 more in the wreckage. Of the entire population of our planet, only 500 escaped. Their fates are unknown to us."

"Wait a minute," I said, turning toward my father. "This force is heading for Earth as we speak? What's being done about it?"

"This ship is what's being done. This and her two sister ships, then we start construction, on large transports. These three will launch in different directions. Its primary mission, to help other civilizations in the path of destruction. To locate friendly species with large transports, and a suitable planet for the human race. Once we start building the transports, we will only be able to move 50,000 people per year. The shock wave, will make its first impact, dead on the Yellowstone caldera, and continue west, through the western Pacific. As you can imagine this will set off both super eruptions almost simultaneously. The loss of pressure on the planet's core from the Magma escaping, will cause the entire Northern Hemisphere to implode on itself. The planet has 50 to 75 years left, before its end. Edward, my child, I can see you have already done the math. Even with the best of odds, we will never be able make a dent in the planet's population. The people of Earth are counting on you son, all of you."

My father's words hung heavy on all of us, as the realization of what was happening sank in. I don't think any of us had much of an appetite left after digesting that news. I sat staring out the view ports, actually holding Kevin's hand without even thinking about it, knowing that I would never see the planet that I grew up on again. Not that long ago we all were in school and Kevin and I had agreed to let everyone know we were a couple. We thought we had the biggest secret in the world and was ready to release it. We could never have been more wrong than we were then.

At that time a chime came from the Captain's holo-com and a very human and familiar sounding voice announce, "Captain, we are ready to start the Main Reactors."

"Very well Commander, I am with the Admirals now, and I am sure they would like to see this. We will be right down." Switching off her com she turned to us and said, "Perhaps now would be a good time to go to engineering."

"Edward, Kevin, Your mother and I have some business to tend to before we leave. We will see you again in a few hours."

"Wait! You're leaving me? But why? Why return to a planet that you know is going to be destroyed?" I pleaded. "The size of this ship there is bound to be room for two more."

"Son, someone must oversee the continuation of the project. Besides, you know yourself that neither of us may live another 50 years. And if we do, I promise, we will be on one of the Transports, before anything happens. I promise you, we will see you before we leave." said my father, giving me a hug, something that just felt right at the time.

After a hug from my mother and with Kevin holding me, we followed Captain Is'ophea, out along the corridor to a waiting transport pod like the one we rode into the bridge. "These pods are located throughout the vessel for transportation. It will automatically read the clearance of its passengers to determine if the requested destination is allowed. There are even high speed shafts that allow the movement fore and aft in a short amount of time." With engineering being almost directly below the bridge several Kilometers down, it didn't really take us that long to reach it. When the doors opened, it was clear to us that not all beings had followed the same evolutionary path humans did. Some even appeared to not even be alive. We followed the Captain along the corridor to a secured access, and when she waved her arm in front of the panel, we were granted access.

"Ahh, Welcome to Engineering everyone!" The call caused Kevin to snap his head in the direction of who ever called out to us.

"Ronald Davis, what are you doing here? Everyone said you dropped off the planet after you graduated, because no one had heard from you. Even your parents moved." replied my very shocked Kevin. Ronald was the Star Quarterback of the school until he graduated last year. No one knew what happen to him afterwards.

"Kevin Murphy, it's good to see you again. They said the Admiral was an old classmate, but I didn't even think of you. And seeing Edd on your arm, I'm guessing you both finally decided to admit who you were, and not hide it anymore." He cuts loose one of his famous laughs that was always heard on the football field, and a great distraction to the other team. "I am your Chief Engineer. These new Sunburst Reactors really produce a lot of power, and I am glad I am on the flagship with the new engines."

"Sunburst Reactors?" I ask "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Well, you have, sort of." Ronald said, "the study of atomic energy began with Democritus, it was a slow and mainly theorized study until the early 20th Century. Actually the atomic study took off with testing, and mistakes, shortly after the Roswell crash. With man's theories, it was soon discovered that the power of the sun could actually be duplicated. This was met with devastating results. A containment was needed before we could harness the power. That containment is what you see before you. Each of the spheres, is capable of creating and to maintain a miniature star within These containment's allow us to harness that power. One is powerful enough to power the ship, in normal operations, however, we will use three. One for the engines, one for power, and a third in hot standby. The reason for nine is the only downfall is they require heavy maintenance during their off cycle. There is a very large engineering crew on at every shift to handle that."

"Commander, we are ready for start up." spoke a small green alien as he came down the walkway towards us, swinging on whatever he could grab.

"Lieutenant Iephy this is Admirals Yazzie, and Murphy, they will observe the start up. If you gentlemen and Captain, are ready, we will head to the control console."

There was a flurry of activity in the control center, human and alien alike, all working together without any bigotry. It was so refreshing to watch. "You can watch everything from this monitor."

"Lieutenant, began the start sequence." Mechanical arms started moving in the monitor, and started a slow dance around each other. "Start increasing the pressure." Soon a small point of light appeared and started growing as the arms expanded outwards. In no time at all it truly appeared that we were looking at a star through a view screen. "Energy output is beginning, the pressure is stabilizing, and... She is self-sustained. Reactor number 1 is on-line. A cheer erupted throughout the control center, as we realized that this is the first time an engine of this type is brought to life. Our ship just became a living vessel, with its own heartbeat, and is no longer dependent on another power source.

"Captain", stated Ronald, "with your permission, we will start up reactors 2 & 3 and cast off shore power."

Captain Is'ophea turned to Kevin and myself. "Admirals, would you care for the honor?" I smiled and nodded to Kevin

Grinning, Kevin turned to Ronald and said, "Permission Granted Commander" as his first official command.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Our next stop was CIC or Command in Control. Where the bridge oversees navigation and everything outside the ship, CIC handles the inside. Banks of monitors viewed every part of the ship. Most intriguing of all was the view ports that opened onto a huge area, that appeared to be an average downtown setting. Parks, shops, streets, with lots of beings moving back and forth. The most prominent feature was the largest building, white in color, with a Caduceus in plain view from all angles. This view was the only thing I had fixated on an not what was around me, because it was the last thing I expected to see on a star ship. The view was simply breath taking. "Hi Edwarrrd"! I still cringe by instinct. I noticed that Kevin even left my side at the same time. Some hero he turned out to be. Dressed in green and brown, that she seem to always wear, uniform jumpsuit, sat Marie Kanker in the command chair.

"Marie when did you get here? I didn't think anyone was arriving until this evening." I asked her with a hug that was much less tighter than when we were younger.

"Hello Kevin." She replied hugging him also, "Mae and I came in last night, to get Security crews ready. This along with the Security Office down the hall will be my primary duty station. Mae's will be with Docking Master Ek'ihx. This is going to be an exciting trip, even if the reasons are a bit morbid."

She explained how they could monitored all aspects of the ship. Roving security officers, along with ID scanners located throughout the entire ship, helped monitor the entire ship for safety. It is also tuned to alert them if someone passes by one without an ID. Lights, life support, and everything else goes through this control room. Sounded like a lot of stuff to keep up with to me, but I imagined once we got underway, the Bridge will be a bit busy also.

We continue on, touring the hospital, and one of the parks, located near there. Other than the tubes passing overhead, and all the different beings, you would swear, you were in a small town. There were also small birds, and animals like rabbits, and squirrels, and some that were not from Earth.

A small chirp on my holo-com showed a message from my father telling me that the rest of the command crew would be arriving shortly in the main hanger bay. We made our way there, and went in to meet Docking Master Ek'ihx, a very unusual being who actually appeared to be part of the ship. The large shuttle came in along with a shuttle from the Albert Einstein. Mother and father came in as the shuttles finished docking, to greet the new arrivals.

It appeared to be a joyful reunion with all of us together again. The last time we all saw each other together was before the prom because Sara and Johnny were not there for the coming out party. Sara did seem to be happy even if Ed had his arm around his little sister's shoulder, but after growing up with her, we all knew something was bothering her. I don't think it was hard to figure out what it was.

Introductions were made for my parents, Captain Is'ophea, and finally Kenny. Sara seemed to peak up a little after meeting Kenny, but I'm afraid she might get upset again when she figures out he's gay, or was, or even if he is still sexually active. It was something that was none of our business at first. But I think we may need to talk to him this evening, and find out. Sara can still have a temper on her at times, so this is going to be a delicate operation here.

Captain Is'ophea, lead us all through to a conference room located near the docking area, and asked us all to take a seat. She called CIC and asked that they arrange a ship wide video conference, and that Lt Commander Kanker and Commander Davis join us in the conference room. Once Marie and Ronald had joined us in the conference room, Captain Is'ophea activated the ship wide, video conference.

"ATTENTION ALL HANDS! I am Captain Is'ophea, and I would like to welcome you aboard the United Enterprise Ship Leonardo da Vinci and welcome to her maiden voyage. As you have notice our crew is made up of beings from numerous different worlds, some that have been destroyed, some from far away galaxies, and even those that have been at war with each others. This ship is a joint effort of the humans, and several species, including those from Zufluter, Aobos, and Qounov. We have a common mission set before us. To show the rest of the Universe that peace is obtainable. We will also be looking for a new home for the people of planet Earth. We will fore warn others of the danger of abuse of Natural Resources. And finally we will offer peace and assistance to all of those in need. I would like to introduce two who will not be joining us, that have helped a great deal on getting these ships built. Mister Charles Yazzie, and his wife Elizabeth Yazzie. Now I would like to introduce to you our command crew. First and fore most Admirals Edward Yazzie, and his partner, Kevin Murphy, who are in overall command of our mission. The majority of the command crew spent years growing up together, in close proximity, to learn each others strengths and weaknesses. Next we have Commander Nazz Summers, our Helm Pilot and the Bridge Second in Command. Next in line is Lt Commander Eddy Williams, our Senors and Weapons officer. Lieutenants Johnny Miller with communications, Rolf Gunnarsson with Xenobiology, and Samuel Bowman will be in charge of the personal security of the Admirals. Off the bridge we have Commander Ronald Davis, as our Engineer, Lt Commanders Ed Albertson in charge of Combat Pilots, Sara Albertson in charge of Medical, Marie Kanker with interior security, and Mae Kanker with hanger security, and Lee Kanker our Ambassador Supervisor.

Everyone, a mission of peace is not to be taken lightly. It will not be easy, and not always fun. We have an important job to do and I expect everyone to do their best. Bringing aid to others will not be glorious. It will be troublesome, and at times we all will wonder if we are making a difference. If we stop only one war, save one planet from self destruction, reunite one child with it's parents, then we have done our job. And we will keep doing our job for as long as need be.

There is an old Earth blessing from a land mass named Ireland, that is fitting for this maiden voyage. 'May we all feel happy and contented, healthy and strong, safe and protected, and living with ease. May the road rise to meet you, May the wind always be at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand. May what ever Deity you believe in, hold you close. We launch in the morning at 0800 hours. That is all'."

After the Captain finished all was quite for a moment. She turned to my parents, going down on one knee with a single hand extended, "Mister and Mrs Yazzie, on behave of the crew I thank you for helping make this a possibility. My word of thanks will never be enough. I only hope that we can succeed in finding your planet a new home in our travels." she continue. "May you find peace that this planet so richly deserves." Rising and facing everyone else in the room, she addressed them. "People, I believe the Admirals would like to be alone to say good bye now. Let's all plan on meeting for dinner at the Royal Jasmine, at 1730." With that she led everyone out of the room but Kevin, my parents, and myself.

It was quite for a while, all I could do was stare at my hands folded on the table before me, tears beginning to fall from my eyes. "Son, please look at us." My mother's voice never sounded so lifeless as it did then. Slowing raising my head, I was still unable to see. The crying had started full force and nothing I could do would stop them.

"B-B-But why? You were barely home to begin with. I feel like that we have never gotten to truly know each other. You were always gone on some trip for business. Now you are leaving for good. How do I say good bye to that?" I was openly bawling now, the pain I felt was like no other. Arms wrapped around me from both sides, as my mother and father showed true affection for me that was rarely seen by others. Basking in their love I realized that there was something missing. "Kevin!" He was standing off to the side quietly shedding tears that I have not seen since his own father's funeral. Sliding back so he could sit in my lap, he quickly join our hug. Nothing was said for some time, nothing could be said. I know we all felt the pain of facing the separation that was coming.

"Edward, Kevin, I know neither of you think this is fair, and in a way it is not. This was not an easy discussion to make for any one. Something needs to be done to save not only our world but others also. You heard the Captain, many of those serving have already had their worlds destroyed, something must be done and soon, within our lifetime. 90% of the crew fall within your age range, from their respective worlds. You have the greatest chance of success. We love you dearly, am so sorry we were not there for you growing up. Please forgive us. Kevin, your mother already has a place on the Albert Einstein. By the time the third transport is ready for launch we will be on it and following the Leonardo da Vinci."

"Will we ever get to speak to you again, or even see you?" I asked, my eyes still wet from all the tears. I can never recall crying as much as I have today. I feel as if they will be lost to me forever, I will truly be alone.

"Edward, Edd, When you succeed in finding us a new home, I am sure we will see each other again. Your mother and I will always miss you. We will never stop loving you or Kevin."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Every teenager knows that at some time soon, some things will change. A new experience after school is finished, some will leave home for the first time going to college, or the military, or starting a new life with a new family. At some point we all must leave the nest. I don't think it was or ever will be like this again. This is forever, not a disaster, or death, or nothing like a disagreement. This was actually having to say goodbye, and watching your parents leave knowing you will never get to see them again. Kenny and Sammy met us outside the conference room, waiting for us to say our goodbyes, and walked with us to the Shuttle from the Albert Einstein. They would watch out launch from there, before returning to Earth to prepare the next crew that will be for the Einstein.

After a great deal of tears, and long hugs back and forth, the time to say goodbye was upon us. Once the shuttle was out of sight, I think Kevin and I both had the same realization, this was our ship now, and we didn't really know what to do. Kenny once again became our guide, and suggested we go to our quarters, and clean up and after donning a ship's uniform, we could go familiarize ourself with the bridge and other key areas before dinner. He also advises that we didn't nap to help quickly adjust to the sudden time shift from where were, to the current ship's time. He also reminded us that we had dinner with the Captain at 1730 hours this evening.

As we made our way to the ship transport system, Kevin asked, "Where is our quarters anyway?"

Kenny just smiled and said "Just ask the pod to take you there. On a ship this size, it will be near impossible to learn where every nook and cranny leads, so the computer is programmed to be extremely helpful with that operation."

Kevin took Kenny to heart and when we all were aboard, he stated out loud, "Admiral's Quarters". The pod began its movement along its shaft taking us to where ever our new home would be. We exited the tunnels around the hanger area and were moving along a track over the large open "village" of the ship. It was an amazing site to view all of this from above. After moving through the Hospital, and back into the main portion of the ship, the pod made an upward turn, and traveled on for a few more seconds. Stopping it opened up into a corridor where we soon found a door with mine and Edd's name on the face plate. Sammy had a room directly across from us, for his duties as Security Officer.

Kenny said he had a resting place just down the hallway also, so we would have direct access to his information if needed. We all went into our quarters to rest and get freshen up a bit. Edd and I were shocked to see that we walked into an almost exact duplicate of our apartment near Seattle. Well, minus the fireplace, and of course the balcony, but the floor to ceiling windows were replaced with monitors showing us the outside of the ship. It was an amazing view to look out and see. We were slightly elevated on the command tower, looking forward across the main hull. The ship was so huge, that even in space we could not see the end of it. Breathtaking was the only thing that came to mind.

We found everything right where we had left it, and quickly found our way to the bedroom and bathroom, for a shower. After what has happened in the last few hours, it is surprising how much we felt we needed that shower. Afterwards, looking for our new outfits, we found them in the closet. Identical silver jumpsuits, with Green along the top of the shoulders, and upper chest. Once we got them on, they were very comfortable. We had also other uniforms that appeared to be of a more formal dress if needed.

Contacting Sammy, we told him we were going to the bridge, and would meet him and Kenny there. We wanted to become more familiar, with it. We took the pod to the bridge and was able to access at the rear of the main bridge again. We were met by a security officer manning the first station to the left as we enter. I notice him take a deep breath to announce our arrival, I was having none of that. With a quick shake of my head, I leaned over and whisper to him to pass the word that our arrival did not need to be announced every time we walked on the bridge.

Kevin and I started to look around amiss the bustle of humans and aliens alike. There seemed to be a lot of final tests going on and from the sound of it, everything seemed to be working okay. Just past the Security was communications, with Johnny standing over someone while they both were working on the panel before them. Next and to the forward portion of the upper bridge was the Captain's Command area. A semi-circle control station overlooking the upper and lower bridge. Standing just behind the chair watching the station and the bridge, was a large reptilian being standing at least seven feet tall. "Good Afternoon Admirals," it spoke without even turning around. We both replied with a shaky afternoon ourselfs, surprised he even knew we were on the bridge. Turning around grinning, he continues. "I am Lt Tamolth, I am the duty officer until we launch tomorrow morning. I hope you are settling in okay, and finding everything you need."

"Oh yes, just fine," Kevin replied, "If I may be so bold, how did you even know we were here? We never spoke, you never turned around, and we stopped the security guard from announcing our arrival."

With a hardy laugh, that sounded more like hissing, he went on and explained, "Even though we Seaks, have 4 eyes, that allow us to see in a 360o view, our actual sight is very poor. We rely heavily on sound, and heat to know what is coming up on us. No disrespect, you humans are so easy to track. I even heard you speak to Sargent Francisco when you came in."

"Commander Summers has her helm team sorted and ready for us to get underway. She is so proficient I'm beginning to think they will soon be bored with waiting. Lt Commander Williams, and his team are also ready. They have actually improved the sensor range with something he called a scam. Not entirely sure what he did, but it worked. He also does not have the drive to motivate others as Commander Summers, he rather tries to take it all on himself."

I told him we have a secret weapon in dealing with Eddy ourselfs. "You said he used a 'Scam' to increase senor range, and you don't know what he did?" Lt Tamolth just nodded from his waist. "Edd, you better call Ed up here, and I'll go talk to Eddy." He agreed and stepped back to the back of the bridge taking Lt Tamolth with him.

"Eddy, my man, how you doing up here? Everything going okay, ready for tomorrow?" I asked with the biggest smile I could muster, one of these days he might just catch on to that.

"Kevin, I didn't hear you come onto the bridge. Yeah man, we're ready, just doing a little tweaking here and there, getting a better gain on the sensor signals. Not much to do until the big start tomorrow, you know."

"Oh, you're getting a better sensor reading, sweet. How did you do it?" I asked, looking his and the number one sensor area. Not really seeing much out of the ordinary, from what I could understand. I actually surprised myself, though, when I realized that I actually understood what I was looking at.

"Eddy? What did you do with the sensors, and what kind of scam are you running now?" Above us stood Ed and his 6ft 5in frame. I even have to say he really looked professional in his uniform, identical to mine and Edd's other than he wore purple, to our green. Eddy's was gold as was the standard bridge uniform.

"Hey Ed, I ain't doing nothing wrong, just a little tweaking here and there, you know." replied Eddy.

Ed placed one hand on the banister between the upper and lower bridge and leaped over it landing squarely on his feet. "EDDY!" he bellowed. This caused his and Nazz's crew to back out of the way, thinking something be getting stirred up.

"All I did was get us a little more power by rerouting power around, from one of the seldom use sub-reactors." he mumbled. I looked up at Edd and noticed that Captain Is'ophea had joined him and Lt Tamolth looking down on the lower level.

"Eddy, what reactor did you use?" asked Ed. I'm wondering when did he become so mature?

"Sub Number 15. It's never used I looked it up. I just rerouted the sensor power grid to draw off it, and it's not having to share the load with anything else, only the sensor grid." he replied.

"Commander Davis, " said the Captain into her holo-com, speaking for the first time. "Stop everything and check on Sub-Reactor 15 immediately. If it's running okay, I want you and a technician to report to the bridge. If not, Shut It Down Now!"

"Sub-Reactor 15 is running perfectly, with all safety guards in place, why it's running, I am sorry to say I cannot tell you at this moment, it isn't scheduled for start up yet. Lieutenant Iephy, and myself are on the way to the bridge and I will accept full responsibility for the reactor." Ronald replied.

"No need, all will be explained when you arrive up here, won't it, Mister Williams."

"Yes, Captain, I will take responsibility, and whatever action you see fit. The Sensor crew was only following my orders." Eddy replied looking crestfallen.

And like a switch the old Ed was back, "Now don't you feel better Eddy?" he cooed. It was going to be a fun trip.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

While Ronald was using the Admiral's bridge station, directly opposite of the Captain's, and behind Sensor control, Iephy went through all three of the sensor control stations, checking out the modification done using the sub-reactor as a sole power source. As they were finishing up, the Captain said to wait to give the report over dinner if that was alright, as it was about time to eat. Kevin and I went to gather Kenny and Sammy from their quarters', and took a pod over to the Royal Jasmine. I wasn't sure what to expect after all that I had seen, but at this point a standard Earth Style Restaurant was surprising. We were led to a private dinner area, where most of the senior staff had already gathered.

Once we were all present and seated holographic menus appeared in front of each of us. Kenny explained that with the varied species on board, the menus will only show what is edible for the chosen species. With all of our orders placed the Captain asked Ronald for his report on the sensor modification, and sub-reactor 15.

"First, sub-reactor 15 is a very small reactor, designed to be used only to provide emergency power to the #3 bridge." he began. "Iephy and I checked every connection that was made for its use through the sensor grid, and even had Engineering to run a full diagnostic on everything. It's perfect, running at peak efficiency, and I can truly find nothing wrong with it. In fact, once we get underway, it will double our estimated sensor range."

"How was it that he was able to bypass the security lockouts on the reactors, set up for the engineering crew only?" asked a very annoyed Security Chief maned Marie.

"Being an emergency reactor, for an emergency bridge, the startup of it could have been preformed by any bridge or senior officer." replied Ronald.

"Mister Davis, have you thought of an action plan on keeping this set up for the increased sensor grid?" asked Captain Is'ophea.

"Yes, Captain I have, you will have my full report on that before we launch tomorrow." replied Ronald.

Sitting with her arms folded, staring at Eddy, Captain Is'ophea was definitely a formidable officer. This was the first time that I have not seen her smile since coming on board. "Lt Commander Williams, while your actions were a great benefit to the ship and her missions, they were also rash, and dangerous. Any number of things could have happened with the reactor you started up without proper monitoring, and would have had disastrous results. I can not have a command officer acting in that accord. You are no longer serving as third in command on the bridge because of your actions, effetely immediately. You will report to my office at 0600 in the morning to discuss any further action. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Captain" replied a dejected Eddy. I think he finally realized what we have been telling him since childhood, that one of these days his 'scams' will backfire on him.

As dinner arrived, we all enjoyed some old favorites, and tried some new things that we were not yet familiar with. Personally, I tried the Roasted Titarean Moghog in a Creamy Vegetable Sauce. Firm and quite pleasant, aggressively impetuous. Even Kevin liked it.

Our after dinner conversation was pleasant and really centered around nothing at all. Sara seemed to be spending a lot of time with Kenny just talking to him tonight, and Ed was back to his old self looking for pudding skin. The Kankers were talking about laying odds on who would be their next conquest now that I am out of the picture, Eddy has made his choice clear, and Lee was with Rolf. Johnny and Rolf were talking to Sammy about the different species, and how our communicators were able to translate in real time. I was very proud of our friends and how grown up they had become, and accepted this mission. From our early days as children I was beginning to wonder if anyone would amount to anything at all.

Captain Is'ophea stood and announcing a final staff meeting in the bridge conference room at 0630 hours, just before we launched at 0800. She asked that we all be there for that. She then bids us all a good night, and exited the dining room. We all kind of broke up after that, and Kevin and I decided to go for one of our walks through one of the parks located in the Village. I am beginning to see the therapeutic reasoning behind having this area now.

We passed in front of a clothing shop with the name of 'Phuef's Outfitters', written in about 3 maybe 4 different languages. Kevin spotted something he wanted to look at inside so we stepped in. "Ah, come in gentlemen, come in!" greeted the shop's clerk. "I am Chly, the proprietor here and creator of all these fine fashions. Have you seen anything you liked?"

Chly was an amazing being, seemed to be everywhere in the shop at once, sewing new outfits, straightening racks, and tending to us at the same time. Kevin mentions the shirt that caught his eye as we were passing. "Oh a wonderful piece, I do have to agree, made from the silken fibers of the Uweet tree. Much finer than your earth grown silk I must say, but even that has its own place. Would you like to try it on?"

"Yes please, " replied Kevin, removing the top portion of his jumpsuit. Chly eyed him for a moment, and reached into the rack without looking and pulled out a shirt that he said was Kevin's size. "Wow, I'm not sure how to describe it, like there is almost nothing there. But it is keeping the cool of the air condition out. And the colors, I've never seen anything like it before. Edd once we get the financial bit on how we pay for stuff figured out I'm going to have to get one of these for each of us."

"Oh, I can tell you that, in just a moment, let me scan your holo-coms, and I will have your answer. Passing a scanner over our forearms, Chly was able to get his and our answers. Oh Admirals, sorry I did not recognize you, why your bills are paid for by the company. More or less, if you want it, you get it. I am greatly honored to have your business, as your first shopping experience on board." What a salesman. We each got a shirt in our own size, however, no two were alike, so we settled on something close.

Continuing our walk through the village, we met Marie with someone who looked similar to Captain Is'ophea. "Hi Edwarrrd, Hi Kevin," she greeted us. I still cringe today! "Enjoying the great shops here?"

"Very much so, everything is so new. Who you hanging around with these days?" asked Kevin, always straight forward with the questions.

"This is Is'ebe, the Captain's son. We met when Mae and I arrived yesterday. His father was a human from earth, but was killed in one of the earlier accidents with the Sunburst Reactors."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Is'ebe, sorry to hear about your father, though." I told him, still holding onto Kevin.

"The pleasure is all mine, Admirals, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to meet you in person or not. Growing up with children your own age, sounds so different from growing up with mostly adults around. However, by watching Earth television, I understand why I wasn't let out in public much. A very strange world I would have to say, and without the people knowing the leaders have agreed to take on such an important mission to save those very same people. Very strange indeed." he replied.

"Please, call us Kevin and Edd when we are in an informal setting, and you sure have a very well though out view of the planet's people. Can't say that I really blame you though."

"Well, we are off for a little stroll then turning in for the night, exciting day tomorrow, and I for one want to be awake to see it." Marie laughed.

"Kevin and I had the same idea, we will see guys later, sometime. Have a good night you two." And we parted company heading in different directions. Tomorrow is another day to see what happens next.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

We seemed to have a new passion of lovemaking in front of the large "windows" of our apartment. Even though we knew deep down that they were just monitors, and not windows, the view of looking out upon the entire universe, just burn with a new passion we had never felt before. After sating our hunger for each other, we were in a need for a shower before bed. Nothing too strenuous, but it was hard washing each other after what we had just been through. We finally made it to bed with a reminder set to wake us in the morning for the briefing.

Eddy was standing outside the Captain's office just before 6 in the morning, dreading what he was facing. Looking back on his actions he sees where starting that reactor without anyone there, was not the wisest choice. At 6am sharp he signaled the door of his arrival and was granted entry immediately. Inside, he found Captain Is'ophea, sitting at her desk with Nazz standing just behind her and to the side. "Come in Mister Williams, have a seat."

Sitting with as much poster he could muster, he started with "Captain, I..." and was cut off there.

Handing him a tablet she said "Before anything, I would like you to review these files."

Confused, he started reviewing the files handed to him, and began to recognize the old Documentary films on the first atomic bombs. Each file showed a different test, he had seen already in History class. "I don't understand Captain, these are the old Atomic Bomb test. From way before I was even born. What have they got to do with what happened yesterday?"

"You are correct Mister Williams, you don't understand. Those were not actual weapons tests. Each and every one was a test of man's ability to handle and harness the power of the Sunburst Reactors. One of those test took the life of my husband and denied my child a father. Even your scientist back then knew, trying to turn this into a weapon would be nothing but bad news. Yet they wanted it anyway. Those tests are only a small fraction of the power generated even by the Sub-Reactors. And Mister Williams, you turned one on without monitoring, or notifying anyone. Your actions could have resulted in the lost to this ship, the crew on board, and all those working nearby. In the long term of things, it could have meant the destruction of your race. This can not go without consequences."

Nazz stepped forward at this time. "Mister Williams, please stand. As your direct commanding officer, I have the unfortunate duty to inform you that as of this moment you will be reduced in rank to Lieutenant, placed on probation for 8 months, at my recommendation, and are no longer able to hold a command position on this ship. After your probation, if you wish to qualify as a Duty Officer, you may take the required officer courses, from the beginning. I wholeheartedly recommend that you do so. Because of your skills, and improvement with the sensor grids, you will remain as the department head. Do you have any questions?"

"No Captain, No Commander, Thank you for a second chance." One thing about Eddy, he knew when not to argue with authority.

"You are dismissed Lieutenant. Please be in the conference room at 0630." Spoke the Captain in a tone that stated that nothing more needed to be said.

At 0620 Kevin and I joined a few others in the Conference to wait out our meeting. We had checked in with the bridge first and everything there seemed to be okay, all the stations were manned and ready and some were even getting a little itchy about waiting. Even Lt Tamolth was a little jumpy, ready to get the show started. He told us he would hang around to watch the launch, then retire to his quarters for some much needed rest. Eddy walked in shortly after we did, looking down, but relieved at the same time. He took his customary place at the table next to Ed, who put his arm around him telling him it was all over now. I wonder how many times he has done this since we were children.

Captain Is'ophea and Nazz walked in right at 0630 ready to begin. "Thank you for being here, we have a lot to cover so we will get started. We have been given a mission of high priority. 2 years ago a distress signal was picked up by SETI in California, from a planet requesting help with an unknown disaster. Two years is a long time to answer a distress call, true. But we will go to investigate and offer assistance if needed. This signal originated in the JW-32 Galaxy, some 100 light years from earth. This signal used was unlike anything seen before. The degeneration of the signal placed it at 1 week old. We will be using a new Hyper Drive, to travel the distance. Travel time will not be determined until we start mapping Hyper Space. Commanders Davis, and Summers will explain more about Hyper Drive and Hyper Space."

As she sat down Ronald stood up and went to a monitor and brought up an external view of the ship. "As you can see, the Leonardo da Vinci has massive engines that are able to be powered by a single reactor. The thrust provided by these engines is able to propel a ship of this size into light speed which we refer to a _c_ barrier. However models have shown that a ship this size will create a massive wake which will distort time and space in any area we pass through. This distortion wake could last several years, and travel outward from its point of origin. We have determined that with the right focus that we can create a massive wormhole into Hyperspace, pulling the wormhole close behind us. Commander Summers will explain about traveling through Hyperspace, and what we hope to achieve."

He sat down and Nazz went to the monitor and started her portion. "Traveling though Hyperspace is fairly simple once you understand the basics. If you will follow the monitor, a true wormhole with a starting point and exit point, allows one to travel through folded space in a tube of sorts, to the other side. It's this space around the tube that we refer to as Hyperspace. We do not have the ability to create a starting point and exit at the same time. We will move through the wormhole entrance, into Hyperspace, heading in the direction we want to go. Every so often we will stop, and send out a probe to get a reading from normal space. In a way we will be learning our way though, as we go. Once we have several fixes, at different times and speeds, and judging from the direction and distance travel we will learn as we go. We do know that there is no issue traveling at light speed in Hyperspace. The time and space distortion is actually nonexistent. This will also be monitored to ensure that there are no issues."

"Thank you Commanders, people as you can tell we are charting unfamiliar territory here. We are hoping for a great trip, we are expecting trouble. If nothing else, this first mission will be a fact finding mission. If we find someone in need, we will offer aid. People this a very important mission, no more or no less than any other. I expect nothing but the best from all of you. If there are no questions, please take your stations. Get them ready for departure." With that the Captain rose and led us all out to the bridge.

The bridge was a bustle of activity, when we arrived. "Departure stations, please everyone. Lt Tamolth you are relived, I assume command of the bridge. Okay people, sound off by the numbers."

"Helm, all systems GO, standing by."

"Sensors, all systems GO, standing by"

"Communications, all systems GO, standing by"

"Xenobiology, all systems GO, standing by"

"Bridge Security, all systems GO, standing by"

"Engineering, all systems GO, standing by"

" CIC, all systems GO, standing by"

" Hanger Security, Hanger secured, all systems GO, standing by"

"Combat Wings, all systems GO, standing by"

"Very good everyone, it is 0756." said the captain, "Lt Miller, open a channel to control. Angel Space Corps control, Leonardo da Vinci is ready for departure."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Lt Miller, open a channel to control. Angel Space Corps control, Leonardo da Vinci is ready for departure."

My mom's voice was a welcome relief. "Leonardo da Vinci, you are clear for departure. Exit to 20,000K Kilometers, and began a +90 turn along the Y axis for out system trip. Request private channel when able."

"Angel Space Corps control, we copy exit 20,000K and began turn of out system. Stand by for private channel during the turn. Helm, at your discretion, began your exit."

"Yes, Captain, forward and mid stations keep yourselves stabilized. Applying forward thrust, now." reported Nazz.

Watching our displays we could see our speed, slowly beginning, and we were moving forward. Slowly leaving the construction framework behind. It was a smooth start to our trip, that held a lot of uncertainty. After checking her displays, the Captain moved down and walked behind each helm station, check each display as she went. In normal cruise only one helm was needed, but during tight maneuvering and combat, all three stations would be manned.

"We are approaching 19,000K Kilometers, Captain. Standing by for turn."

"Very well Helm, at 20,000K start your turn."

"Yes Ma'am, Forward station, vertical thrusters at 90%, Mid station, vertical thrusters at 40%, stand-by for my mark." Right at 20,000, "MARK!" Slowly the nose of the ship started to rise, turning us into a vertical position. "Speed holding steady, Captain."

"Very well, Lieutenant Miller, open a private communication to Angel Space Corps, for the Admirals."

A barrier went around our station, to block out all conversation from within with the bridge. We were still able to see what was going on at each station. "Edward, Kevin, you there boys?" came my mom's voice once again.

"Yes, we are both here. I wish you were here with us. Everything is going very well so far. Is dad there with you?"

"Yes son we are both here," came my dad's voice, "We are both very proud of both of you. We will all miss you very much. Kevin, your mother has just been approved as Medical Director for the Albert Einstein. They will be launching in 6 months."

"Tell her I said congratulation, and that I love her. I will miss her dearly." said Kevin. I could tell he was in a bad way.

"Edd, we will both miss you, and we love you dearly. Please be safe. Kevin please look out for my baby." said my mom.

"I will, " he replied.

"We need to get back to control, time for your acceleration thrust. We will see you both again, I promise."

Signing off the privacy barrier lowered, and we returned to the bridge. Our turn was complete, and we were just waiting for clearance of clear travel before we began. Once that was approved Nazz increased our thrust taking us to _c_.5 our limit in normal space. With the powerful engines, it didn't take long to reach that speed. Traveling at 149,896,229 meters per second, we were soon on our way out of the system. We had a full day at this speed, before we attempted the jump into Hyperspace. This was to prevent any prying eyes, from Earth, seeing this. They are still not ready.

"Helm, status report." asked the Captain.

"We are in cruise mode, holding steady."

"Engineering, status report."

"Engines at optimum performance, all power levels holding steady."

"Security, any issues to report?"

"Negative."

"Negative."

"Very well, all stations, stand down to modify cruise watch. Maneuvering Stations will resume at 0600 tomorrow. Well done everyone."

With us on our way now and so far things were looking good, Kevin and I decided to look into our work as Admirals. Besides being the primary figure head, for what we learned was the Angel Space Corps, we also had the final say on our missions, and decisions that were involved with them. We did have some primary rules to follow, in our decision making,

#1 Do No Harm.

#2 Do Not Interfere with a non Space Faring Race.

#3 Protect yourselves and others from those meant on doing harm.

#4 Deliver Aid when Available.

#5 Locate new homes for the Human Race.

#6 Locate transportation for the human race to a new home.

#7 Promote peace and understanding wherever you go.

Easy enough, but as we discussed among ourselfs, each could have their own difficulties. The planet we were headed to is actually JW-32 / Shahar / A967200-E / Pallas; (Galaxy, System, Planet, Moon). Both the planet and Moon are larger than the Earth, yet only the moon is inhabited, and is where the distress call originated, according to satellite projections. There is still no reason listed for a planetary distress call, so we will have to go in with a very cautious approach.

Eddy's sensor's modification was working better than projected. The range and clarity on them was quite unbelievable. Once we enter Hyperspace, and able to launch some sensor drones to tag along, our view will be unbelievable. With his upgrades, we can use the drones, and sensors, to check the area out, before taking the ship into a possible conflict, within the crowed system.

We checked in with Rolf and Johnny to see what information they had on our mysterious aliens, which was nothing but their language was very complex, yet easy to decipher.

Kevin and I stayed on the bridge the entire morning, while the Captain remained on duty, Nazz took the first Helm watch, with one assistant, as a stand-by encase there were needed. Eddy and his Sensor operators, remain on keeping an eye on things going on around us.

Around midday, we decided to head out to find some food, and told the Captain, that we would check in later. Kenny stated that if she didn't need him, he would come with us, and of course Sammy also tagged along. We grabbed a quick sandwich from a "street vendor" and enjoyed our lunch in the park next to the Hospital. Kevin mentioned, we should check on Sara at the hospital, while we were out. We haven't heard much from her since we've been aboard.

It reminded me that I needed to speak to Kenny about Sara. "Kenny, I've noticed you and Sara have seem to have a lot in common, since she's come aboard. Not sure how to put this, you do realize that she and Jimmy Tanner were childhood sweethearts before all this trouble started. I just don't want to see either of you get hurt again."

"I understand completely Edd, she and I have had some long talks, and I have told her of my past. I am not even sure the programming will allow me to actually love again let alone preform sexually. Physically, I am 14 years old, however the nanobots that are used in my accelerated healing, keep my body at the age of 12. Since the beating, there has been no sexual drive or response from my body. This is still not know if it is the trauma, the nanobots, or something else. Besides being great company for each other, she has also made it her mission to see if this setback, as she puts it, can be turned around. Rather, I'm gay, straight, or whatever. She doesn't think I should have to go through life as a 12 year old eunuch for however my life span will be." replied Kenny.

"So you have no idea what kind of life span you have now?" asked Kevin

Kenny just smiled, "Well, I am a 12 year old living, breathing body, that has their brain as actually the Mainframe of this ship, so as long as the nanobots, keep repairing the living tissue, and the ship and computer are not destroyed, I will be around. Like anything else, if my brain is destroyed, I will cease to function."

That was a very worrisome thought, if anything happened to the Leonardo da Vinci, we would no longer have Kenny around. This was something I was going to look into myself as soon as possible.

We stopped in at the medical center and found Sara, working on making sure her records were up to date. I knew this was not an enjoyable task at the moment, especially for her, but a necessary one. Once she realized that neither, Sammy, Kevin or I have actually had a recent physical, it was time to get one out of the way. Of course with all the new medical equipment, the physical was no where near as time consuming, or "traumatic" for the patient. In a short time they were completed, and other than my lack of muscle mass, everything was in good shape for all three of us. She made a follow up appointment for sometime in the next three months, Doctor's Orders, and we left her with Kenny, while we tour parts of the treatment center. There was nothing major happening here, just some minor injuries, and burns. It was good to see Rolf's Xenobiology team working hand in hand with the medical department on some of the beings. Everyone working together seemed to be the common idea on board.


End file.
